Acetylene-gas generator.



Patented Oct. 9; 1900.

F. A. FELDKAMP.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Dec. 4, 1897.)

2 Sheets- Sheet I.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: 2 v INVENTORI WMMQ, FRET? A. FHEKAMP, B. Y (9 ATTORN EY No. 659,6l8. Patanted Oct. 9, I900. F. A. FELDKAMP.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed n. 4. 1897 (No Model.) 2 Shoots-Shoat 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR= I FRET? FELDKAMR iffMfliw ATT RNEY FRITZ A. FELDKAMP, or NEWARK, NEw JERSEY.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,618, dated October 9, 1906.

Application filed December 4, 1897. Serial No- 660,'730. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRITZ A. FELDKAMP, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas Generators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention has reference to a novel construction of gas-generator for the production of acetylene gas.

This invention is therefore designed to provide an effective, neat, and simply-constructed apparatus in which the acetylene gas is generated in proper proportion to the consumption of the gas and in which the calcium carbid in the form of powder is introd uced,preferably intermittently, into the Water, where it is immediately and entirely dissolved, giving off only a predetermined volume of gas according to the required consumption, but the apparatus being so constructed that in case of a sudden oversupply of gas the supply of the carbid into the water is at once and automatically shutoff.

Other objects of this invention not here specifically set forth will be more fully described in the accompanying specification.

The invention consists in the novel form of apparatus herein described and also in the general arrangements and combinations of the several parts, all of which will be fully set forth in the accompanying specification and finally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

From the specification of the invention as hereinafter set forth it will be evident that the gas-cocks of the burners in the piping connected with the apparatus can be rapidly turned off and the apparatus left standing, because there is no continued generation of the acetylene gas, and as the water or the moisture therefrom owing to the present arrangement of the several parts of the apparatus can have no further effect upon the carbid, as in the constructions of apparatus now in general use, there is no danger of explosion by an overproduction of the gas.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the aocom panying' drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus embodying the principles of my present invention,and Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus, clearly illustrating my novel process of generating acetylene gas. Figs. 4 and 5 are a side and a top view, respectively, of a jointed or hinged lever connection for regulating the supply of the carbid into a tank containing water; and Fig. 6 is a front view, and Fig. 7 a vertical section, of a link which is used in connection with the apparatus. Similar letters of reference are employed in all of the above-described views to indicate corresponding parts. I

In said drawings, a indicates a suit-able tank containing the water b, and a is a suitable outlet-cock at or near the bottom of the tank for drawing 0% the lime-water formed therein. Said tank is preferably provided with a funnel-shaped top 01?, terminating ina mouth a in whichis secured in any wellknown manner a screw threaded tube or pipe a, onto which is screwed a cock or valve 0, having the movable part c and a nut-like portion 0 which extends through the casing of the cock and is movable therein, as will be clearly understood; but of course any suitable form of cook or valve may be employed, and said tube or pipe a may be dispensed withand the cock or valve secured directly over the mouth of said top a Said tank a is also provided with an opening a and a valve a, closing said opening a which can be opened whenit is desired to admit water into the tank a. Secured upon the topof said cook or valve 0 in any well-known manner is a receptacle d, having a funnel-shaped part 01', terminating in an opening 01 which communicates with the said cook or valve 0, and in the closed top d of the said receptacle d there may also be arranged an opening d and a cap 01 for normally closing said opening, but which cap can be removed for admitting the powdered calcium carbid f into said receptacle d. In said closed top d there may also be arranged a suitable cock (1 to permit the escape of any gas that may, be for some unforeseen reason in the said receptacle d. Connecting the upper part of said receptacle d with the part d thereof near the opening d is a tube LP, the purpose of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

E indicates a gas-receiver, comprising a suitable water tank or reservoir 6, which is open at the top, as at e, and may be provided with any desirable number of uprights '6 and e is a verticallymoving gas-holder, open at the bottom, as at e, and having a closed top 6 in which there may be a safetyvalve e and a petcock 6 The open part of said holder e is arranged in the water 9 in the tank 2, and on the top of said holder are a number of grooved wheels a which are in rolling contact with the uprights e to properly guide the vertical movement of the gasholder as it moves up and down by the admission or emission of the gas into the holder.

Connected with an outlet (1, in the watertank a. is a suitable pipe h, which leads into the tank or reservoir 6, at or near the bottom thereof, and terminates in an upright pipe 7?. above the water g in the gas-holder e substantially as represented. In that portion 77. of the pipe to between the gas-receiver E and the water-tank a said pipe may be provided with a stop-cock h for shutting off the communication between the tank Ct and the receiver E in case of repairs or for other reasons, and connected with a T-joint h in the said pipe may be a drip-pot 72, for catching any water caused by condensation, said pot its being provided with an outlet-cock 72. for drawing off the water from said pot when necessary. Leading from a point at or near the bottom of said water tank or reservoir ev is a pipe t, which contains the burner or burners for consuming the gas. Said pipe t' is provided within the receiver E with an upright pipe '5', extending above the water 9 and into the gas-holder e the gas in said holder passing into this pipe 7; and then through the main pipe 1' to the burners. Said pipe 1' may also be provided with a shut-off cock '5 and a T-joint with which is connected a drippot i for catching any condensed water that may be in said pipe 7 An outlet-cock 2' may be arranged in the lower part of said drip-pot t Secured to said vertically-moving gasholder 9 preferably on the top thereof, is an armj, to one end of which is pivotally secured, by means of a pin j, an adjustable link Z, consisting, essentially, of a pair of rods Z and Z one of said rods, as l, havinga long slot or opening Z whereby it can be adj ustably clamped or secured in position to the rod Z by means of a screwl passing through said slot Z and working in a screw-threaded opening Z in the rod Z as will be clearly seen from an inspection of Figs. 6 and 7. Said rod Z is provided with a hole Z, whereby by means of the pinj' it can be pivotally connected with the arm j. The rod Z is provided with a hole Z and pivotally connected thereto on a pin Z is a suitable lever for controlling and operating the movable part c of the cock or valve 0, located between the watertank a and the carbid-receptacle d. Said lever has a square hole k for operatively connecting it with the nut portion a of the cock or valve 0 and also has a hole 70 for pivotally connecting it with the end of the arm 1 hereinabove mentioned, by means of the pin Z as will be clearly evident.

The operation of the apparatus for generating the acetylene gas is as follows: Suppose the tank Lt and the receiver E have been properly supplied with the water to about the heights indicated in Fig. 3. of the drawings and that the receptacle d has also been filled with the finely-powdered calcium carbid and the cap 01 again closed. Of course while filling the said receptacle d with the carbid the cock or valve 0 is closed, in order that there can be no generation of gas by the carbid dropping down into the water in the tank a. When the gas-holder e of the receiver E has been placed in the tank or reservoir e, it rests aboutin the position indicated in said Fig. 3. The link connection Z is now properly adjusted and connected with the lever 70, so that said lever will stand at the inclination indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, and being connected with the nut portion 0 of the cock or valve 0 will cause the movable part of said cock to stand open, as indicated. The finely-powdered calcium carbid now passes from the receptacle d slowly and in small quantity through the open cock or valve into the water I) in the tank a, where it is at once decomposed, and the generated acetylene gas passes through the pipe 71. beneath the gas-holder a from which it can be withdrawn through the pipes 11 and 1; for consumption. It the volume of gas generated in the tank a is greater than the consumption, the gas will collect in the gas-holder e, which will begin to rise. At the same time the arm j causes the link 1 and lever 70 to actuate the movable part c of the cook or valve 0 and by closing it at once shuts off the supply of the powdered carbid into the water in the tank a. As the gas in the gas-holder c is withdrawn therefrom by consumption at the burner or burners in the pipe i the lowering of the gas-holder 6 will again cause the link connection land lever k to actuate the movable part c of the cock or valve 0 in the opposite direction, thereby opening the said cook or valve, and a fresh supply of powdered carbid is at once admitted into the water in the tank a.

The operations of the several parts of the apparatus are so regulated that the supply of carbid into the Water is intermittent and very limited, being just enough in quantity to generate the proper volume of gas as required for consumption at the burner or burners.

It will be evident that the small quantity of powdered carbid into the large quantity of water in the tank ais such that it will be immediately dissolved, and there cannot be more than a predetermined volume of the acetylene gas generated, nor is it subject to moisture, as in the constructions of generators where the water is passed upon a large quantity of carbid, thus producing a sponge which continues the work of decomposition long after a further supply of gas for consumption is not needed and the gas-cocks have been shut ofi.

Owing to the fact that there will be only a very small volume of gas generated as required there is no danger of explosion due to overcharging, nor will there be any escape of the gas through the water in the receiver E.

In order that avacuum may not be formed on thetop of the powdered carbid in the receiver d as it passes through the cock 0 and to cause a pressure upon the carbid in order that it will not clog up the valve-opening and render the apparatus inoperative, I have arranged the tube (1 in the manner hereinabove stated, whereby when the cock or valve 0 is opened enough of the gas generated in the tank a will pass through said cock into the tube d and through the same upon the top of the powdered carbid in the receptacle (1, whereby the said powdered carbid passes freely through the opened cock, as indicated in Fig. 3.

In order that the receptacle d can be filled with a fresh supply of powdered carbid and to close the cook or valve 0 without raising the gas-holder e the lever is is preferably constructed as indicated more especially in Figs. 4 and 5. In this construction the lever 70 comprises two arms 10 and k pivotally connected, as at 10 on a pin k Secured to the arm k on a pin or screwm is a bar n, having a finger-piece n, the end of said bar being normally under a lug or projection k on the arm 76*, whereby the two arms are rigidly connected and open and close the cock or valve 0 during the falling and rising of the gasholder 6 but when the bar n is disengaged from said projection 70 by being turned to one side then the two arms 70 and k can be moved on their pivotal connection Win the manner of a knuckle or a hinge joint, and the arm 10 is employed to close the cock or valve 0, as will be clearly evident, which permits of the filling of the receptacle (1 without interfering with the position of the gas-holder e in the receiver E. When the receptacle d has been refilled with the carbid, the arms and k are again rigidly connected, and the link Z and lever k again operate to automatically control the action of the cook or valve cas the acety lene gas is generated and consumed.

I am fully aware that many changes may be made in the arrangements and combinations of the several operating mechanism, as well as in the details of the construction thereof, without departing from the scope of my present invention. Hence I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the parts nor to the details of the construction thereof as herein described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is In a gas-generating apparatus, the combination, with a gas-receiver, comprising a water-tank and a water-sealed gas-holder vertically movable in said water-tank, of awatertank a, a receptacle containing powdered carbid arranged directly above said water-tank a, pipe connections between saidcarbid-receptacle and said tank a, a valve or cook between said receptacle and tank a, and mechanism connected with said valve or cook and controlled by the vertically-movin g gas-holder to open and close said valve or cook and the communication between said tank a and the carbidreceptacle, consisting, essentially, of an arm on said gas-holder, a lever is connected with said valve or cook, and a link connection between said arm on the gas-holder and said lever 70, said lever is comprising a pair of hinged arms, and means connected therewith for holding said hinged arms in a rigid position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of December, 1897.

FRITZ A. FELDKAMP.

Witnesses:

FREDK. O. FRAENTZEL, WM. H. CAMFIELD, Jr. 

